Overview
Automatic courier service selection simplifies your order-fulfilment process by allocating the correct courier service to orders based on specific criteria you define. This eliminates manual errors, ensures accurate service allocation, and creates a streamlined fulfilment experience.
You can create rules using any combination of:
Client (3PL only)
Channel
Country or Shipping Zones (country-based zones only)
Order weight
Order value
Courier Service Type
How rule matching works
When an order is received, Mintsoft evaluates it against your courier service selection rules to find a match. If multiple rules could apply to an order, Mintsoft uses the most specific rule:
Country rules take precedence over Shipping Zone rules. If you've created a rule for France and another rule for a "Europe" zone that includes France, the France-specific rule will always be applied.
Multiple criteria create more specific rules. Rules with more defined criteria (such as channel, weight range, and country) are more specific than rules with fewer criteria.
Most specific match wins. The rule that matches the most criteria on the order will be selected.
Tip: Start with broad rules for common scenarios, then add specific rules for exceptions. For example, create a general UK rule, then add specific rules for weight bands or channels.
Courier Service Types
Courier Service Types provide additional flexibility when creating selection rules. By default, all orders use the "Standard" type, but you can create custom types to handle more complex scenarios. For more information, please review our Courier Service Types help guide.
Adding a Courier Service Selection Rule
To create a new courier service selection rule:
Click Shipping Management then Courier Service Selection.
Populate the required fields:
(3PL Only) Client: Select the client the rule applies to.
Channel: Select the channel orders will come from.
Courier Service: Select the service to apply when the rule matches.
Courier Service Type: Select the type (default is Standard). Use custom types for rules based on shipping service levels.
Country/Shipping Zone: Select either a specific country or a shipping zone.
Min / Max Weight: Enter the lower and upper weight limits (in kg).
Min / Max Order Value: Enter the lower and upper order value limits.
Click Add.
Repeat as required to add additional rules.
Understanding field behaviour
Courier Service Type matching
The Courier Service Type you select in the rule must match the Courier Service Type assigned to the order. For example, if you create a rule with "Express" as the type, it will only apply to orders that also have "Express" as their Courier Service Type.
Country vs Shipping Zone precedence
If you create both a country-specific rule and a zone rule that includes that country, the country rule will always take precedence.
Example: You have:
Rule A: Country = France | Courier Service = DPD France
Rule B: Shipping Zone = Europe (includes France) | Courier Service = UPS Europe
An order shipping to France will always use Rule A (DPD France), even though Rule B also matches.
Shipping Zone requirements
Shipping Zones only work with courier service selection rules when they're configured with countries only (no postcodes).
Weight and value ranges
Enter 0 as Min Weight to include orders with no weight recorded
Enter 0 as Min Order Value to include zero-value orders (such as replacements or samples)
Max Order Value must be greater than Min Order Value
Important: Min/Max Order Value doesn't account for currency. The system only evaluates the numeric value. This means £100 GBP and $100 USD are both treated as "100" when matching rules. Ensure your value ranges are appropriate for all currencies you process.
Recalculate Courier Service - Existing Orders
After creating or modifying courier service selection rules, you can apply them to existing orders that haven't been shipped yet.
To recalculate courier services in bulk:
Click Orders then Overview.
Tick the orders you want to update.
Click the Bulk Actions menu and select Recalculate Courier Service.
Click Go.
The system will re-evaluate each selected order against your current rules and update the assigned courier service accordingly.
Note: This only affects orders that haven't been processed or shipped. Completed orders aren't changed.
Editing an existing service selection rule
To modify an existing rule:
Click Shipping Management then Courier Service Selection.
Click Edit next to the rule you want to change.
Make your changes.
Click Save.
Tip: Changes to rules only affect new orders and orders where you manually recalculate the courier service. Previously processed orders aren't automatically updated.
You can create or update multiple rules at once using a CSV upload.
To upload courier service selection rules in bulk:
Click Shipping Management then Extras.
Click Uploads.
Select CourierServiceSelection as the Template then click Download.
Populate the template with your rules.
Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file.
Back in Mintsoft, select CourierServiceSelection as the Type.
Click Browse, select your CSV file, then click Upload.
Understanding the template
INTERNAL_COURIERSELECTION_ID column
Leave blank when creating new rules
Populate with the existing rule ID when updating existing rules
Tip: After uploading new rules, you can apply them to existing orders using the bulk recalculation process described in the "Recalculate Courier Service - Existing Orders" section.
Offshore Postcode & Mapping
If you need to map courier services for offshore postcodes (such as Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, or UK islands), refer to Offshore Post Codes and Mapping.
Troubleshooting
To troubleshoot common issues with Courier Service Selection, please review our Troubleshooting help guide.